Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
Missouri
MAGA Rapper Sinks to New Low After ‘Ratchet’ Rant
Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.
Valentina Gomez—who’s running for Secretary of State of Missouri—has come under fire for her online trolling, homophobia, attacks against transgender people, and racism.
This week as the U.S. celebrated Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery, the 25-year-old Colombian immigrant and real estate investor struck a new low when she called the holiday “ratchet” and suggested that Black Americans leave if they want to complain.
“Reparations from slavery and Black victimization is about to be shoved down our throats for the most ratchet holiday in America. BLM raised millions but what did they do for Black lives? It is outrageous to see people asking for reparations even though they never went through slavery. These grateful people should be celebrated because they were born in the greatest nation to ever exist. Here’s a tip. You don’t like America. Get the fuck out.”
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The New Abnormal co-host Andy Levy said that Gomez had clearly studied the MAGA playbook to get attention.
“She’s one of those people that looked around and said, ‘Oh, I have to say the most outrageous things possible to get attention.’ And that’s what we’re giving her,” he said. “She’s just one of a million right-wing clones and there’s nothing special about her. And she probably has no friends.”
“I can tell you what kind of friends she doesn’t have,” The New Abnormal’s co-host Danielle Moodie said. “She may in fact have friends, but I can tell you the kind of friends she don’t have.”
Plus! The New York Times bestselling journalist Jeff Goodell joins the podcast to talk about his new book, The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet.
Listen to this full episode of The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.
Missouri
Missouri High School Stars Take the Super Bowl LX Spotlight—Here’s Who
Super Bowl LX arrives Sunday as the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks face the AFC champion New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Both teams finished 14–3 and now meet on the league’s biggest stage with championship stakes and a new generation of stars defining the matchup.
Seattle is seeking its second Lombardi Trophy and first since the 2013 season, while New England is chasing a record seventh Super Bowl title. Though the franchises met in Super Bowl XLIX, this year’s meeting features entirely different rosters and storylines.
For Missouri football fans, this year’s game carries a smaller but still meaningful connection. Only two Missouri natives are on active Super Bowl rosters, both with Seattle: Lee’s Summit quarterback Drew Lock and Maryville center Jalen Sundell, while New England enters the matchup without a Show-Me State representative.
If circumstances force Seattle to turn to backup quarterback Drew Lock on Sunday, the Super Bowl stage could feature an all-Missouri quarterback-center exchange, with Maryville native Jalen Sundell snapping the ball to Lee’s Summit’s Lock, a rare Show-Me State connection at the center of the NFL’s biggest game.
Missouri players have periodically appeared on Seattle Super Bowl teams over the years, creating a subtle pipeline that continues with this year’s roster.
Born in Columbia and raised in Lee’s Summit, Lock became one of the Kansas City area’s most productive high school quarterbacks at Lee’s Summit High School. He threw for more than 5,000 career yards and completed 206 of 312 passes for 2,717 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior, earning Kansas City Star All-Metro Player of the Year honors and the Simone Award as the metro area’s top high school football player.
Lock continued his career at the University of Missouri, where he developed into one of the most prolific passers in school history before being selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. His professional career has included multiple stops before returning to Seattle.
Now in his second stint with the Seahawks, Lock serves as the backup to starting quarterback Sam Darnold, providing veteran depth for a Seattle team making its first Super Bowl appearance in more than a decade.
Sundell built his foundation at Maryville High School, where he was a four-year letterman and earned all-conference honors on both the offensive and defensive lines. He was named the 2017 Class 3 Offensive Player of the Year while helping the Spoofhounds capture a state championship and finish 13–2.
He later starred at North Dakota State, earning All-American recognition before signing with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2024. Sundell made the roster as a rookie and steadily expanded his role along Seattle’s offensive line.
Entering the 2025 season, Sundell won the Seahawks’ starting center job and has started all 13 games he has played after returning from an injury earlier in the year, anchoring the interior of the offensive line during Seattle’s Super Bowl run.
Although only two Missouri natives appear in this year’s game, Seattle’s earlier Super Bowl appearances also featured players from the state.
Lebanon native Justin Britt was part of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl appearance during the 2014 season (also against the Patriots), which culminated in Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015. A multi-sport standout at Lebanon High School who excelled on the gridiron and as a state champion wrestler before playing football at the University of Missouri, Britt was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft and started at right tackle as a rookie in that Super Bowl, marking his lone Super Bowl appearance with Seattle before later transitioning to center during his tenure with the team.
Raymore-Peculiar product Chase Coffman also spent time with Seattle during the franchise’s Super Bowl era after a decorated high school career that included multiple first-team all-state selections before continuing his career at Missouri and in the NFL.
Seattle’s first Super Bowl run during the 2005 season included Webb City standout Grant Wistrom, a dominant two-way high school player who later became a first-round NFL Draft pick and starting defensive end during the Seahawks’ early 2000s playoff push.
Missouri representation is lighter in this year’s Super Bowl, yet the state’s presence remains visible through Lock and Sundell, whose football paths began in different corners of Missouri before converging on the same championship roster.
Their inclusion continues a pattern of Show-Me State athletes contributing to Seattle’s biggest seasons.
Missouri
Driver dies from injuries suffered in Feb. 1 traffic crash in Kansas City, Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A driver died Thursday morning at a hospital from injuries suffered in a Feb. 1 traffic crash at East 43rd Street and The Paseo in Kansas City, Missouri.
The crash happened about 4:30 p.m. when a blue Jeep Cherokee was traveling west on East 43rd Street, according to the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.
A white Chevrolet Equinox was traveling north on The Paseo at a high rate of speed.
The Jeep entered the intersection from East 43rd Street and was struck by the Chevrolet, per KCPD.
The Jeep overturned, and the driver was ejected and suffered critical injuries.
The front seat passenger in the Jeep suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the Chevrolet was not injured.
Police are investigating whether the Chevrolet driver was driving while impaired, according to police.
The victim’s name has not been released.
—
If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
Missouri
Missouri’s legal sports betting debut generates $543 million in first month
Missouri recently became the 39th state to allow legalized sports betting, and the numbers from their first month of operations are staggering, while it still remains illegal in Alabama.
According to a report from Bet Missouri, residents wagered over $543 million in the first full turn of the calendar from December 1-December 31, 2025.
The numbers broke down as a $543 million total handle with a mobile handle of almost $539 million, bringing a monthly total revenue of more than $20 million for sportsbooks.
In terms of wagering taxes, this broke down to more than half a million dollars for the state.
FanDuel dominated the handle with almost 40% of the total, and the numbers are expected to be even bigger moving forward after an “inopportune timing surrounding the launch.”
“This early performance shows that Missouri bettors were eager for a regulated marketplace,” said Christopher Boan of BetMissouri.com. “If engagement levels hold steady and operators continue investing in the market, Missouri will be well-positioned to cultivate a thriving sports wagering ecosystem.”
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